Flipped City: Absorb or disband?

[smacfan]

I'm playing out Vel's Jaguar Rush (Devel II), it's 890AD. I planted a border city at the "neck" of land between my Aztecs and the Persians, and culture bombed it with the GA from Music. Cyrus planted a city just 3 tiles away from this border town, and when the GA was used, my city took away the entire lower half of the Persian city's fat cross. So far, so good.

Now this same city has flipped to me, and the choice is govern or disband. I have saves for both, but I'm not sure which is the right way to go. I have 8 cities already, positive cash flow at 70% beakers, running at 80% (-4 gpt) to catch up on military techs.

If I take the city, it will share the top half of my border city's fat cross, and it is *not* getting the upper half of its own fat cross from Persia, so it loses some important food tiles. The flipped city is size 5, no buildings left now that it has flipped so a lot of infrastructure builds needed. I think it is likely it will shrink before it grows due to loss of extra food tiles.

Advice appreciated on whether to take this city or disband it and keep my cash flow and my existing city's fat cross tiles.

smacfan

[greenday_234]

It will most likely shrink before it grows, however I would think about it long term. Sounds like it will be a major investment on your part. Now the real question is, down the road, is it worth it. Will you be able to hold it or will you be struggling with other allies for it? When it aventually does grow, will it starve out other cities? When its culture expands will it take in new resources or tiles that are worthwhile? And by having the city will it damage your economy badly? Think about these sorts of things and if the bad outways the good, destroy it. If theres a neutral response (no change) I usually take it given the possibility that I overlooked something. If its a positive response well then keep it.

[smacfan]

It's a tough call. It is certainly an expensive proposition to keep at this point. I'm nearly ready (a couple of techs away) to start absorbing Cyrus (he's been *such* a good friend, but all things must pass... ) and later the Greeks and Mongols on my continent.

OTOH, the city isn't positioned too badly when considered on its own, once I own Persia there'll be a goodly number of tiles for this one to grow, including a rice special, and it's a coastal city, so there are possibilities for it. If I successfully absorb Cyrus, it won't be any more of a problem than normal consolidation brings.

I think I'll play out a few tens of turns both ways and see how they differ.

Thanks for the advice.

smacfan